Hospital headwall communication system

ABSTRACT

A patient support apparatus includes a first transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with a second transceiver of a headwall interface that is positioned off of the patient support apparatus. A communication link is automatically established between the first and second transceivers without requiring a user of the patient support apparatus to activate a designated control and without requiring the user to identify the headwall interface. The first transceiver includes a unique identifier assigned to the headwall interface in its messages to the headwall interface. The first transceiver may also automatically transmit a disconnect signal to the headwall interface indicating the termination of the communication link is not accidental. The disconnect signal is sent based on one or more of the following: (1) a brake being off, (2) an A/C power cord being unplugged; and/or (3) a signal strength between the transceivers decreasing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/893,797 filed Jun. 5, 2020, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. andentitled HOSPITAL HEADWALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, which in turn claimspriority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/215,911 filed Dec. 11,2018, by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled HOSPITALHEADWALL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, which in turn claims priority to U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/598,787 filed Dec. 14, 2017,by inventors Alexander Bodurka et al. and entitled HOSPITAL HEADWALLCOMMUNICATION SYSTEM, the complete disclosures of all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to medical facilities having headwallswith one or more connectors that enable communication between a patientsupport apparatus (e.g. a bed, stretcher, cot, recliner, wheelchair,etc.) and one or more devices that are coupled to a headwallcommunication interface (e.g. a nurse call system, entertainmentcontrols, room controls, etc.).

Medical facilities, such as hospitals, typically include a headwallhaving one or more ports and/or other types of connectors into which theplugs of cables connected to medical devices can be inserted. Forexample, headwalls will typically include at least one port thatinterfaces with a nurse-call system and which is designed to accept acable from a hospital bed, or from a hand-held pendant positioned on thebed. When the cable is plugged into this port, a patient positioned onthe bed is able to press a button to summon a nurse and/or tocommunicate aurally with the nurse.

Existing headwall connectors also typically communicate with one or moreenvironmental controls, such as one or more controls for in-roomtelevisions, displays, and/or room lights. When the appropriate deviceand its associated cable are plugged into the headwall connector from abed, pendant, or other device, a person is able to control theenvironmental control via the device (e.g. bed, pendant, or otherdevice). Thus, for example, a patient positioned on a bed is able tocontrol the volume of a television in the room via controls on the beddue to a cable being connected from the bed to the headwall. In someinstances, a single cable is plugged into a single connector on theheadwall and used for communicating both with the nurse call system ofthe medical facility, and for communicating with the one or moreenvironmental controls. In such instances, the headwall connector iscoupled to a room interface board that forwards the environmentalcontrol signals to the appropriate environmental control unit, andforwards the nurse call signals to the appropriate component of thenurse call system.

SUMMARY

A headwall system includes a headwall unit mounted to a fixed locationwithin a healthcare facility room. The headwall unit wirelesslycommunicates with a patient support apparatus in that room in order toallow a patient on the patient support apparatus to communicate with ahealthcare worker positioned remotely, such as at a nurses' station.Additional communication between the headwall unit and patient supportapparatus may take place. The headwall unit and/or patient supportapparatus provide automatic linking to each other, improved security andresilience to communication failure, reduced energy consumption, andautomated adjustments between wired and wireless communication inresponse to manual steps taken by a caregiver. These and other featuresare described in more detail below.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a patient supportapparatus is provided that includes a support surface, a firsttransceiver, a second transceiver, and a controller. The support surfaceis adapted to support a patient thereon. The first and secondtransceivers wirelessly communicates with a stationary unit mounted in aroom of a healthcare facility. The controller transmits audio signalsfrom the patient support apparatus to the stationary unit and is adaptedto initially attempt to transmit the audio signals to the stationaryunit via the first transceiver and, if the initial attempt isunsuccessful, to subsequently attempt to transmit the audio signals viathe second transceiver.

According to other aspects of the present disclosure, the patientsupport apparatus may further include a wired transceiver adapted tocommunicate with a nurse call system port mounted to a wall of the room.In such embodiments, the controller is further adapted to transmit theaudio signals from the patient support apparatus to the nurse callsystem port if the initial attempt to transmit the audio signals to thestationary unit using the first transceiver and the subsequent attemptto transmit the audio signals to the stationary unit using the secondtransceiver are both unsuccessful.

The patient support apparatus may further include a microphone thatgenerates the audio signals in response to the patient speaking into themicrophone.

In some embodiments, the first transceiver is a radio frequency (RF)transceiver and the second transceiver is a non-RF transceiver, such as,but not limited to, an infrared transceiver or an optical transceiver.

The controller, in some embodiments, is adapted to maintain heartbeatmessages between the patient support apparatus and the stationary unitwhile the patient support apparatus is positioned in the room. Theheartbeat messages are alternated between the first and secondtransceivers. In some embodiments, the heartbeat messages include atransmission and an acknowledgement, and the controller is adapted torespond to a transmission from the stationary unit received via one ofthe first and second transceivers with an acknowledgement sent over theother of the first and second transceivers.

The heartbeat messages may also include a counter which the controllerincrements after sending and/or receiving an acknowledgement.

In some embodiments, the controller is adapted to issue an alert if theheartbeat messages stop.

The controller is adapted to only transmit the audio signals via thefirst transceiver after pairing the first transceiver and the stationaryunit, in some embodiments. The controller may pair the first transceiverand the stationary unit by sending a pairing key to the stationary unitvia the second transceiver. According to some aspects, the controllerdeletes the pairing key from all memory on the patient support apparatusafter a communication session between the first transceiver and thestationary unit has ended. According to other aspects, the controllergenerates the pairing key using a hash function and a plurality ofvalues. The plurality of values may include at least one of thefollowing: a serial number, a Media Access Control (MAC) address, atime, a date, and a location.

In some embodiments, the patient support apparatus further includes abase having a plurality of wheels; a frame on which the support surfaceis supported; a lift subsystem for raising and lowering the frame withrespect to the base; a plurality of siderails positioned adjacent thesupport surface and movable between raised and lowered positions; and asensor adapted to detect a parameter relating to a component of thepatient support apparatus. The controller transmits the parameter to thestationary unit using the first transceiver, or if the initial attemptis unsuccessful, using the second transceiver.

In still other embodiments, the controller is further adapted to receivecaregiver audio signals from a nurse call system in communication withthe stationary unit and to forward the caregiver audio signals to aspeaker onboard the patient support apparatus. The controller receivesthe caregiver audio signals via the first transceiver, or if the initialattempt is unsuccessful, via the second transceiver.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a patientsupport apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, a firsttransceiver, a second transceiver, and a controller. The support surfaceis adapted to support a patient thereon. The first and secondtransceivers wirelessly communicate with a stationary unit mounted in aroom of a healthcare facility. The controller transmits audio signalsfrom the patient support apparatus to the stationary unit and exchangesheartbeat messages with the stationary unit. The controller exchangesheartbeat messages by alternating the heartbeat messages between thefirst and second transceivers.

According to other aspects, each of the heartbeat messages includes atransmission and an acknowledgement, and the controller is adapted torespond to a transmission from the stationary unit received via one ofthe first and second transceivers with an acknowledgement sent over theother of the first and second transceivers. Additionally, oralternatively, each of the heartbeat messages includes a counter and thecontroller is adapted to increment the counter after sending anacknowledgement.

The controller may be adapted to issue an alert if the heartbeatmessages stop.

The controller, in some embodiments, is adapted to only transmit theaudio signals via the first transceiver after pairing the firsttransceiver and the stationary unit. The pairing takes place by sendinga pairing key to the stationary unit via the second transceiver.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a patientsupport apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, a firsttransceiver, a second transceiver, and a controller. The support surfaceis adapted to support a patient thereon. The first and secondtransceivers wirelessly communicate with a stationary unit mounted in aroom of a healthcare facility. The controller pairs the firsttransceiver with the stationary unit by sending a pairing key to thestationary unit via the second transceiver. Thereafter, the controllertransmits audio signals from the patient support apparatus to thestationary unit via the first transceiver.

According to other aspects, the controller generates the pairing keyusing a hash function and a plurality of values. The plurality of valuesmay include at least one of the following: a serial number, a MediaAccess Control (MAC) address, a time, a date, and a location.

In some embodiments, the controller changes the pairing key each timethe first transceiver pairs with the stationary unit. Alternatively oradditionally, the controller may delete the pairing key from all memoryon the patient support apparatus after a communication session betweenthe first transceiver and the stationary unit has ended.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a patientsupport apparatus is provided that includes a support surface, amicrophone, a first wireless transceiver, a wired transceiver, and acontroller. The support surface is adapted to support a patient thereon.The microphone generates audio signals in response to the patientspeaking into the microphone. The first wireless transceivercommunicates the audio signals to a stationary unit mounted in a room ofa healthcare facility if the stationary unit is present. The wiredtransceiver communicates with a nurse call system port. The controllerdetermines if the stationary unit is present in the room by sending amessage to the stationary unit using the first wireless transceiver andanalyzing a reply, if any, from the stationary unit. The controller alsoautomatically transmits the audio signals using the first wirelesstransceiver if the stationary unit is present and automaticallytransmits the audio signals using the wired transceiver if thestationary unit is not present.

According to other aspects, the patient support apparatus furtherincludes a second wireless transceiver and the controller also uses thesecond wireless transceiver to determine if the stationary unit ispresent in the room.

In some embodiments, the patient support apparatus further includes asensor adapted to detect if the wired transceiver is coupled to thenurse call system port. The sensor detects a voltage supplied by thenurse call system port when the wired transceiver is coupled to thenurse call system port.

The controller may be adapted to conclude the stationary unit is not inthe room only if neither of the first and second wireless transceiversis able to establish communications with the stationary unit.

The nurse call system port may be a multi-pin receptacle adapted toreceive a cable having a multi-pin connector.

Before the various embodiments disclosed herein are explained in detail,it is to be understood that the claims are not to be limited to thedetails of operation or to the details of construction and thearrangement of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The embodiments described herein arecapable of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways notexpressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration is usedin the description herein of various embodiments (e.g. first, second,third, etc.). Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of thisenumeration should not be construed as limiting the claims to anyspecific order or number of components, and the use of this enumerationin the written description does not necessarily mean the sameenumeration is used in the claims. The use of enumeration should alsonot be construed as excluding from the scope of the claims anyadditional steps or components that might be combined with or into theenumerated steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus according toa first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1shown in a hospital room adjacent a headwall unit comprised of separatefirst and second transceivers;

FIG. 3 is perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the secondtransceiver of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram one embodiment of a headwall systemincorporating the headwall unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating one manner in which heartbeatmessages may be exchanged between the patient support apparatus and theheadwall unit;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a feature of the headwall system inwhich the patient support apparatus automatically uses a wirelesscommunication link if available and alternatively uses a wiredcommunication link;

FIG. 7 is flowchart illustrating a feature of the headwall system inwhich the patient support apparatus automatically switches wirelesscommunication links if a link is inoperative;

FIG. 8 is flowchart illustrating one manner in which the patient supportapparatus may pair with the headwall unit; and

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating one manner in which a pairing key maybe encoded to improve the security of the communications between thepatient support apparatus and the headwall unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

An illustrative patient support apparatus 20 according to a firstembodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. Although theparticular form of patient support apparatus 20 illustrated in FIG. 1 isa bed adapted for use in a hospital or other medical setting, it will beunderstood that patient support apparatus 20 could, in differentembodiments, be a cot, a stretcher, a recliner, a wheelchair, or anyother mobile structure capable of supporting a patient in a healthcareenvironment.

In general, patient support apparatus 20 includes a base 22 having aplurality of wheels 24, a pair of lifts 26 supported on the base 22, alitter frame 28 supported on the lifts 26, and a support deck 30supported on the litter frame 28. Patient support apparatus 20 furtherincludes a footboard 32 (which may be removable) and a plurality ofsiderails 34. Siderails 34 are all shown in a raised position in FIG. 1but are each individually movable to a lower position in which ingressinto, and egress out of, patient support apparatus 20 is not obstructedby the lowered siderails 34.

Lifts 26 are adapted to raise and lower litter frame 28 with respect tobase 22. Lifts 26 may be hydraulic actuators, pneumatic actuators,electric actuators, or any other suitable device for raising andlowering litter frame 28 with respect to base 22. In the illustratedembodiment, lifts 26 are operable independently so that the tilting oflitter frame 28 with respect to base 22 can also be adjusted. That is,litter frame 28 includes a head end 36 and a foot end 38, each of whoseheight can be independently adjusted by the nearest lift 26. Patientsupport apparatus 20 is designed so that when a person lies thereon, hisor her head will be positioned adjacent head end 36 and his or her feetwill be positioned adjacent foot end 38.

Litter frame 28 provides a structure for supporting support deck 30,footboard 32, and siderails 34. Support deck 30 provides a supportsurface for a mattress 40 (FIG. 2), such as, but not limited to, an air,fluid, or gel mattress. Alternatively, another type of soft cushion maybe supported on support deck 30 so that a person may comfortably lieand/or sit thereon. The top surface of the mattress or other cushionforms a support surface for the patient. Support deck 30 is made of aplurality of sections, some of which are pivotable about generallyhorizontal pivot axes. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, support deck30 includes a head section 42, a seat section 44, a thigh section 46,and a foot section 48. Head section 42, which is also sometimes referredto as a Fowler section, is pivotable about a generally horizontal pivotaxis between a generally horizontal orientation (not shown in FIG. 1)and a plurality of raised positions (one of which is shown in FIG. 1).Thigh section 46 and foot section 48 may also be pivotable aboutgenerally horizontal pivot axes.

Patient support apparatus 20 further includes a plurality of userinterfaces 50 that enable a user of patient support apparatus 20, suchas a patient and/or an associated caregiver, to control one or moreaspects of patient support apparatus 20. In the embodiment shown in FIG.1, patient support apparatus 20 includes a footboard user interface 50a, a pair of outer siderail user interfaces 50 b (only one of which isvisible), and a pair of inner siderail user interfaces 50 c (only one ofwhich is visible). Footboard user interface 50 a and outer siderail userinterfaces 50 b are intended to be used by caregivers, or otherauthorized personnel, while inner siderail user interfaces 50 c areintended to be used by the patient associated with patient supportapparatus 20. Each of the user interfaces 50 includes a plurality ofcontrols 52, although each user interface 50 does not necessarilyinclude the same controls 52 and/or functionality. In the illustratedembodiment, footboard user interface 50 a includes a substantiallycomplete set of controls for controlling patient support apparatus 20while user interfaces 50 b and 50 c include a selected subset of thosecontrols.

Among other functions, the controls 52 of user interfaces 50 allow auser to control one or more of the following: change a height of supportdeck 30, raise or lower head section 42, activate and deactivate a brakefor wheels 24, arm and disarm an exit detection system and, as will beexplained in greater detail below, communicate with the particular ITinfrastructure installed in the healthcare facility in which patientsupport apparatus 20 is positioned. Inner siderail user interfaces 50 calso include at least one control 52 that enables a patient to call aremotely located nurse (or other caregiver). In addition to the nursecall control, inner siderail user interfaces 50 c also include a speaker54 that enables the patient to hear the nurse's voice and a microphone(not shown) that converts the patient's voice to audio signals that aretransmitted to the nurse. In some embodiments, the nurse call control,speaker 54, and microphone are built into a handheld pendant that restson patient support apparatus 20 and that allows the patient to call andcommunicate with a remote nurse.

Footboard user interface 50 a is implemented in the embodiment shown inFIG. 1 as a control panel having a lid (flipped down in FIG. 1)underneath which is positioned a plurality of controls. As with all ofthe controls 52 of the various user interfaces 50, the controls of userinterface 50 a may be implemented as buttons, dials, switches, or otherdevices. Any of user interfaces 50 a-c may also include a display fordisplaying information regarding patient support apparatus 20. Thedisplay is a touchscreen in some embodiments.

Patient support apparatus 20 may be mechanically constructed in avariety of different way and implement a wide variety of additionalfunctionality beyond that explicitly described herein. Some suitableexamples of such mechanical functionality and/or additionalfunctionality are found in the following references, all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety: the StrykerMaintenance Manual for the MedSurg Bed, Model 3002 S3, published in 2010by Stryker Corporation of Kalamazoo, Mich., U.S. Pat. No. 8,689,376issued Apr. 8, 2014 by inventors David Becker et al. and entitledPATIENT HANDLING DEVICE INCLUDING LOCAL STATUS INDICATION, ONE-TOUCHFOWLER ANGLE DJUSTMENT, AND POWER-ON ALARM CONFIGURATION; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/775,285 filed Feb. 25, 2013 by inventors GuyLemire et al. and entitled HOSPITAL BED; and U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/212,009 filed Mar. 14, 2014 by inventors Christopher Houghet al., and entitled MEDICAL SUPPORT APPARATUS. The mechanicalconstruction of patient support apparatus 20 may also take on formsdifferent from what is disclosed in the aforementioned references, andpatient support apparatus 20 may include still other functionality.

FIG. 2 illustrates patient support apparatus 20 coupled to the ITinfrastructure 56 of an illustrative healthcare facility according toone common configuration. As shown therein, the healthcare facilityincludes a headwall 58, a cable port 60 mounted to the headwall 58, aroom interface board 62 in communication with cable port 60, and aplurality devices and components in communication with the roominterface board 62, such as a nurse call system 64, one or moreentertainment devices 66, one or more room lights 68, and a thermostat70. Cable port 60, room interface board 62, nurse call system 64,entertainment devices 66, room lights 68, and thermostat 70 may all beconventional pre-existing components that are installed in thehealthcare facility independently of patient support apparatus 20 andits associated headwall units 76, as will be discussed in more detailbelow. Cable port 60 is sometimes referred to as a nurse call systemport, although it communicates with more than just nurse call system 64.Additional IT infrastructure beyond what is shown in FIG. 2 may also bepresent in the healthcare facility, some examples of which are discussedin more detail below with respect to FIGS. 4 & 5.

Nurse call system 64 may be a conventional nurse call system having oneor more nurses' stations positioned throughout the healthcare facility.Nurse call system 64 routes patient calls from patient support apparatus20 to one or more nurses' stations so that the patient is able to speakwith a remotely positioned nurse at a nurses' station while the patientis supported on patient support apparatus 20, as is known in the art.

Entertainment devices 66 are conventional entertainment equipment thatmay be present in the particular room in which patient support apparatus20 is located. Such entertainment equipment may include a television,video recorder, radio, etc., and/or other device whose volume, channel,power, and other aspects can be controlled via commands from roominterface board 62.

Room lights 68 provide lighting to one or more sections of the room inwhich patient support apparatus 20 is located. Room lights 68 may beconventional overhead lights and/or one or more night lights or othermore localized lights within the room.

Thermostat 70 controls the temperature of the room and/or a portion ofthe room (e.g. a particular bay) in which patient support apparatus 20is located. Thermostat 70 is in communication with a conventionalHeating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.

Patient support apparatus 20 is adapted to wirelessly communicate with afirst transceiver 72 and a second transceiver 74. First and secondtransceivers 72 and 74 together form a headwall unit 76. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 1, first and second transceivers 72 and 74 aretwo wall units. In other embodiments, such as shown in FIG. 4,transceivers 72 and 74 are combined into a single wall unit having asingle housing, as discussed in more detail below. Regardless of whethercoupled together in a single housing or separated into two physicallydisparate units, first and second transceivers 72 and 74 are adapted tocommunicate with each other, in at least some embodiments. Suchcommunication takes place via a wired connection when transceivers 72and 74 are combined in a single housing, and may take place wirelesslywhen transceivers 72 and 74 are physically separated.

Second transceiver 74 includes a cable 78 that is coupled to cable port60 (FIG. 2). Cable 78 allows second transceiver 74 to communicate withcable port 60 and all of the components in communication with cable port60 (e.g. nurse call system 64, room interface board 62, etc.). Cable 78includes a connector 80 that is adapted to mate with cable port 60.Connector 80 may vary from room to room and from healthcare facility tohealthcare facility depending upon the particular type of cable port 60that is installed within a particular room of a particular healthcarefacility. In the embodiment of second transceiver 74 shown in FIG. 2(and FIG. 3), second transceiver 74 further includes a controller and acable transceiver for facilitating communications between patientsupport apparatus 20 and cable port 60. The cable transceiver andcontroller are described in more detail below with respect to a headwallunit 76 that incorporates both first and second transceiver 72 and 74into a common housing.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of second transceiver 74 inwhich cable 78 has been omitted. In this embodiment, second transceiver74 has connector 80 integrated therein and second transceiver 74 couplesdirectly to cable port 60. Connector 80 is adapted to be inserted intocable port 60, which is a conventional cable interface that existswithin a medical facility. Cable port 60 is a receptacle that isdimensioned and shaped to selectively frictionally retain connector 80therein and to support the entire second transceiver 74. One or morealignment posts 82 may be included with connector 80 in order to moresecurely retain second transceiver 74 to cable port 60, if desired.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, connector 80 is a 37 pin connectorthat includes 37 pins adapted to be inserted into 37 mating sockets ofcable port 60. Such 37 pin connections are one of the most common typesof connectors found on existing headwalls of medical facilities formaking connections to the nurse call system 64 and/or the room interfaceboard 62. Connectors 80 of FIGS. 2 and 3 are therefore configured tomate with one of the most common type of cable ports 60 used in medicalfacilities. Such 37 pin connectors, however, are not the only type ofconnectors, and it will be understood that second transceiver 74 canutilize different types of connectors 80 (whether integrated therein orattached to cable 78) that are adapted to electrically couple todifferent types of cable ports 60. One example of such an alternativecable port 60 and cable is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/819,844 filed Aug. 6, 2015 by inventors KrishnaBhimavarapu et al. and entitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITHWIRELESS HEADWALL COMMUNICATION, the complete disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference. Still other types of cable ports 60and corresponding cable connectors 80 may be utilized.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, second transceiver 74 includes anelectrical plug 84 adapted to be inserted into a conventional electricaloutlet 86. Electrical plug 84 enables second transceiver 74 to receivepower from the mains electrical supply via outlet 86. It will beappreciated that, in some embodiments, second transceiver 74 is batteryoperated and plug 84 may be omitted. In still other embodiments, secondtransceiver 74 may be both battery operated and include plug 84 so thatin the event of a power failure, battery power supplies power to secondtransceiver 74, and/or in the event of a battery failure, electricalpower is received through outlet 86. Although not shown, firsttransceiver 72 may also include an electrical plug for receiving power,may be battery operated, and/or may be both battery operated and includean electrical plug.

The embodiment of second transceiver 74 shown in FIG. 3 also includes aplurality of status lights 88. Status lights 88 provide visualindications about one or more aspects of second transceiver 74. Forexample, in some embodiments, the illumination of one of status lights88 indicates that second transceiver 74 is in successful communicationwith room interface board 62 and/or patient support apparatus 20. Theillumination of one or more additional status lights 88 may also oralternatively indicate that power is being supplied to secondtransceiver 74 and/or the status of a battery included within secondtransceiver 74.

Headwall unit 76 (FIG. 4) is adapted to wirelessly receive signals frompatient support apparatus 20 and deliver the signals to cable port 60 ina manner that matches the way the signals would otherwise be deliveredto cable port 60 if a conventional nurse call cable were connectedbetween patient support apparatus 20 and cable port 60. In other words,patient support apparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 cooperate to providesignals to cable port 60 in a manner that is transparent to cable port60 and room interface board 62 such that these components cannot detectwhether they are in communication with patient support apparatus 20 viawired or wireless communication. In this manner, a healthcare facilitycan utilize the wireless communication abilities of one or more patientsupport apparatuses 20 without having to make any changes to theirexisting cable ports 60 (or to their nurse call system 64 or roominterface boards 62).

In addition to sending signals received from patient support apparatus20 to cable port 60, headwall unit 76 is also adapted to forward signalsreceived from cable port 60 to patient support apparatus 20. Headwallunit 76 is therefore adapted to provide bidirectional communicationbetween patient support apparatus 20 and cable port 60. Suchbidirectional communication includes, but is not limited to,communicating audio signals between a person supported on patientsupport apparatus 20 and a caregiver positioned remotely from patientsupport apparatus 20. The audio signals received by headwall unit 76from patient support apparatus 20 are forwarded to cable port 60, andthe audio signals received from cable port 60 are forwarded to patientsupport apparatus 20.

Headwall unit 76 communicates the data and signals it receives frompatient support apparatus 20 to room interface board 62 by utilizing acable transceiver 94 (discussed more below with respect to FIG. 4) thatdirects the incoming data and signals headwall unit 76 from patientsupport apparatus 20 to the appropriate pin or pins of cable port 60.For example, when cable port 60 includes 37 sockets for coupling to a 37pin plug, it is common for pins #30 and #31 to be used for indicating a“priority alert,” which is often synonymous with an alert that is issuedwhen a patient exits from patient support apparatus 20. Further,depending upon the particular configuration that has been implemented ata particular healthcare facility, the connection between pins #30 and#31 may be normally open or it may be normally closed. Regardless ofwhether it is normally open or normally closed, whenever headwall unit76 receives a message from patient support apparatus 20 that a personhas exited from patient support apparatus 20, headwall unit 76 utilizescable transceiver 94 to change the status of pins #30 and #31 such thatthey switch from whatever state they are normally in to their oppositestate. Headwall unit 76 therefore reacts to the exit message it receivesfrom patient support apparatus 20 by either opening or closing pins #30and #31. The nurse call system 64 that is communicatively coupled tocable port 60 interprets this opening or closing of pins #30 and #31 inthe same manner as if a cable were coupled between cable port 60, suchas by sending the appropriate signals to one or more nurse's stations,flashing a light outside the room of patient support apparatus 20,forwarding a call to a mobile communication device carried by thecaregiver assigned to the patient of patient support apparatus 20,and/or taking other steps, depending upon the specific configuration ofthe nurse call system.

In addition to sending data indicating that a patient of patient supportapparatus 20 has exited, or is about to exit, therefrom, patient supportapparatus 20 is configured, in at least one embodiment, to wirelesslysend to headwall unit 76 any one or more of the following additionalmessages: heartbeat messages and acknowledgements thereof; messages toturn on or off one or more room lights; messages to turn on or off oneor more reading lights; messages to increase or decrease the volume of anearby television set or radio; messages to change a channel of thenearby television set or radio; messages containing audio packetsgenerated from one or more microphones on the patient support apparatus20 into which the patient of patient support apparatus 20 speaks whendesiring to communicate with a remote caregiver; messages indicating thecurrent status of one or more siderails 34 of patient support apparatus20 (e.g. whether the side rails are up or down, or have changedposition); messages indicating the current status of a brake on patientsupport apparatus 20; messages indicating the current status of theheight of support deck 30 relative to base 22 (e.g. such as whethersupport deck 30 is at its lowest height or not); messages indicating thecurrent angle of head section 42; messages indicating the current statusof an exit detection system (e.g. whether the exit detection system isarmed or not); messages indicating the current charging status of one ormore batteries on patient support apparatus 20; messages indicating thecurrent status of an alternating current (A/C) power cable on patientsupport apparatus 20 (e.g. whether it is plugged in or not); diagnosticinformation about patient support apparatus 20; messages containingpatient data gathered from one or more sensors on board patient supportapparatus 20; message containing patient data gathered from one or moremedical devices that are separate from patient support apparatus 20 butwhich communicate such data to patient support apparatus 20; and/or anyother messages containing information about patient support apparatus20, the patient supported thereon, and/or a caregiver associated withthe patient.

In at least one embodiment, headwall unit 76 is further configured totransmit information to cable port 60 that does not originate frompatient support apparatus 20, but instead is generated internally withinheadwall unit 76. For example, in one embodiment, headwall unit 76 isadapted to forward to cable port 60 a signal that indicates a “cord-out”alert whenever the communication link between headwall unit 76 andpatient support apparatus 20 is unintentionally lost. In many instances,when a conventional cable is coupled between cable port 60 and ahospital bed, and the cable is inadvertently disconnected, theelectrical status of pins 10 and 11 (in a conventional 37 pinconnection) will be changed such that the nurse call system willrecognize that the cable has become disconnected, and will thereforeissue an appropriate alert to the appropriate personnel. Headwall unit76 is configured to make the same changes to pins 10 and 11 when itunintentionally loses communication with patient support apparatus 20that would be made to pins 10 and 11 if a cable connection betweenpatient support apparatus 20 and cable port 60 were to becomeunintentionally disconnected. Thus, headwall unit 76 and patient supportapparatus 20 together include the same ability to provide an indicationto cable port 60 of an unintentional disconnection that exists in somecurrently-available cable connections to cable interfaces. Still othertypes of signals that originate from within headwall unit 76 may also besent to cable port 60 in addition to, or in lieu of, this cord-outalert.

In addition to forwarding any of the above-described messages or signalsto cable port 60, headwall unit 76 is also adapted, in at least oneembodiment, to forward the following messages to patient supportapparatus 20 based on information it receives from devices incommunication with cable port 60: messages indicating the establishmentand disestablishment of a nurse-call communication link (e.g. messagesused for turning on and off a “nurse answer” light on patient supportapparatus 20); and messages containing audio packets of a caregiver'svoice (generated from a microphone into which the caregiver speaks andforwarded to the appropriate pins of cable port 60).

In other embodiments, one or more additional messages are alsotransmitted to patient support apparatus 20 that originate from withinheadwall unit 76, rather than from any of the devices in communicationwith cable port 60. Such messages include any one or more of thefollowing: the charge status of a battery within headwall unit 76, or abattery inside first transceiver 72; acknowledgements of messagestransmitted from patient support apparatus 20 to headwall unit 76;heartbeat messages and acknowledgements thereof; and messages used toestablish and disestablish the communication link(s) between headwallunit 76 and patient support apparatus 20. Still other messagescommunicated to and/or from headwall unit 76 will be discussed ingreater detail below.

As was noted previously, first transceiver 72 and second transceiver 74may be integrated into a single housing, in some embodiments. FIG. 4illustrates one such embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates a headwall system 90in which headwall unit 76 includes both first transceiver 72 and secondtransceiver 74, as well as a controller 92 and a cable transceiver 94.

Controller 92 is a conventional microcontroller, in at least oneembodiment. In general, controller 92 includes any and all electricalcircuitry and components necessary to carry out the functions andalgorithms described herein, as would be known to one of ordinary skillin the art. Such circuitry may include one or more field programmablegate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile or nonvolatile memory, discretecircuitry, integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits(ASICs) and/or other hardware, software, or firmware, as would be knownto one of ordinary skill in the art. Such components can be physicallyconfigured in any suitable manner, such as by mounting them to one ormore circuit boards, or arranging them in other manners, whethercombined into a single unit or distributed across multiple units. Suchcomponents may be physically distributed in different positions withinheadwall unit 76, or they may reside in a common location withinheadwall unit 76. When physically distributed, the components maycommunicate using any suitable serial or parallel communicationprotocol, such as, but not limited to, CAN, LIN, Firewire, I-squared-C,RS-232, RS-465, universal serial bus (USB), etc. The instructionsfollowed by controller 92 in carrying out the functions describedherein, as well as the data necessary for carrying out these functions,are stored in one or more accessible memories, such as, but not limitedto, a memory (not shown) contained within headwall unit 76.

Cable transceiver 94 (FIG. 4) is adapted to communicate with cable 78and the cable port 60 to which the cable 78 is coupled. Cabletransceiver 94 therefore converts messages from controller 92 into theproper form to match the communication characteristics of cable port 60.In this regard, cable transceiver 94 selects which pin of the multiplepins certain data is to be communicated over and/or converts the datainto the proper format and/or protocol for communicating with roominterface board 62 and the devices in communication with room interfaceboard 62. Cable transceiver 94 also converts messages and/or signalsreceived from room interface board 62 into a format compatible withcontroller 92 so that controller 92 may process the messages and/orsignals from room interface board 62 in the proper manner.

In some embodiments, headwall unit 76 may include additional components,including, but not limited to, a network transceiver, an auxiliarytransceiver, a caregiver presence detector, and an additional cableport. If included, the network transceiver is adapted to communicatewith one or more wireless access points 96 of healthcare facilitynetwork 98. The network transceiver may be a WiFi transceiver (IEEE802.11) adapted to communicate with access points 96 using any of thevarious WiFi protocols (IEEE 802.11b, 801.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac . . . ,etc.), or it may be a transceiver adapted to communicate using any ofthe frequencies, protocols, and/or standards disclosed in commonlyassigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/430,500 filed Dec. 6, 2016,by inventor Michael Hayes and entitled NETWORK COMMUNICATION FOR PATIENTSUPPORT APPARATUSES, the complete disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference. Still other types of network transceivers may beused.

In those embodiments of headwall unit 76 that include an auxiliarytransceiver, a caregiver presence detector, and/or an additional cableport, the functions and construction of these components may beimplemented in accordance with the auxiliary transceiver, caregiverpresence detector, and cable port disclosed in headwall unit 66 ofcommonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/600,000 filed Dec.18, 2017, by inventors Alex Bodurka et al., and entitled SMART HOSPITALHEADWALL SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference.

Headwall unit 76 is typically positioned at the head of a bay area 100(FIG. 4), which is the area where the patient support apparatus 20typically remains when it is positioned within a particular room 102 ofthe healthcare facility. In some healthcare facilities, one or more ofthe rooms are single patient support apparatus rooms in which only asingle patient support apparatus is present (private rooms). In suchrooms, there is only one bay 100. Healthcare facilities, however,typically include one or more rooms in which multiple patient supportapparatuses 20 are positioned (semi-private rooms). In such rooms, thereare multiple bays 100 for the multiple patient support apparatuses 20.

First wireless transceiver 72 of headwall unit 76, in the illustratedembodiment, is an infrared transceiver and is adapted to communicatewith a first wireless transceiver 104 of patient support apparatus 20.First wireless transceivers 72 and 104 are adapted to establish acommunication link 106 (FIG. 2) only when patient support apparatus 20is positioned within close proximity to headwall unit 76, such as whenpatient support apparatus 20 is positioned within the particular bayarea 100 associated with that particular headwall unit 76. In otherembodiments, it will be understood that first wireless transceiver 72 ofheadwall unit 76 may be implemented using short range communicationmedia and/or protocols other than infrared communications, including,but not limited to, optical communications.

Second transceiver 74 of headwall unit 76 is adapted to communicate witha second transceiver 108 (FIG. 4) of patient support apparatus 20.Second transceivers 74 and 108 are adapted to establish a secondcommunication link 110 (FIG. 2). Second transceiver 74 of headwall unit76 is adapted to communicate with patient support apparatus 20 usingRadio Frequency (RF) communications that are not line-of-sight, unlikethe IR communications of first transceiver 72. In some embodiments,second transceivers 74 and 108 are Bluetooth transceivers configured tocommunicate using one or more of the Bluetooth standards (e.g. IEEE802.14.1 or any of the standards developed by the Bluetooth SpecialInterest Group). It will be understood, however, that in otherembodiments, second transceivers 74 and 108 may utilize other forms ofRadio Frequency (RF) and non-RF communication. For purposes of thefollowing written description it will be assumed that secondtransceivers 74 and 108 communicate using conventional Bluetoothtechnology, although this written description is not meant to be anindication that other types of communication cannot be used betweensecond transceivers 74 and 108.

Each headwall unit 76 includes a unique identifier 112 that uniquelyidentifies that particular headwall unit 76 from the other headwallunits 76 within the healthcare facility. This unique identifier is usedby patient support apparatus 20 and/or other devices in communicationwith first transceiver 72 of headwall unit 76 to determine theirlocation within a particular healthcare facility. When first transceiver72 is able to communicate with patient support apparatus 20, controller92 of headwall unit 76 transmits the unique identifier 112 to thepatient support apparatus 20 (or other device). In the embodiment shown,unique identifier 112 is only used for location purposes when it is sentvia first transceiver 72. It will be understood, however, that secondtransceiver 74 may transmit identifier 112 to the patient supportapparatus 20 for other non-location-determining purposes.

In order to determine location from the unique identifier 112, acontroller on board patient support apparatus 20 (discussed more below)sends the unique identifier to one or more servers on a healthcarefacility computer network 98, and the server converts the identifierinto a location via a look-up table that correlates all of the headwallunit identifiers 112 within the healthcare facility to their respectivelocations. Alternatively, the controller on board patient supportapparatus 20 consults an on-board look-up table that correlates theunique identifiers to locations within the healthcare facility and thecontroller determines the location of patient support apparatus 20 viathe look-up table. In still another embodiment, unique identifier 112identifies directly the room number in which headwall unit 76 ispositioned, as well as the bay area 100 associated with headwall unit76, and none of the receiving devices of the identifier 112 (e.g.patient support apparatus 20) have to consult a look-up table to convertthe ID 112 into a location, but instead are able to determine theirlocation directly from the ID 112.

In some embodiments, first transceiver 72 is used by headwall unit 76 toestablish and periodically verify that patient support apparatus 20(and/or other devices) are within bay area 100, while second transceiver74 is used to communicate information back and forth between headwallunit 76 and patient support apparatus 20 (and other devices within theroom). In such embodiments, first transceiver 72 may be used insituations where second transceiver is blocked or otherwise notfunctional. In still other modified embodiments, first transceiver 72may be used to communicate data in addition to the location identifier112, as well as to perform other functions besides establishing andverifying the presence of patient support apparatus 20 and/or otherdevices within bay area 100.

In addition to other communications, first and second transceivers 72and 74 are utilized by controller 92 of headwall unit 76 to communicateinformation wirelessly to patient support apparatus 20 and to receiveinformation wirelessly from patient support apparatus 20. In manysituations, the information received from patient support apparatus 20is forwarded to room interface board 62 via cable transceiver 124 andcable port 60. Room interface board 62, in turn, forwards theinformation to nurse call system 64 and/or other devices incommunication with room interface board 62.

When patient support apparatus 20 is positioned within a bay 100 and innormal communication with headwall unit 76, both of the transceivers 72and 74 are in communication with patient support apparatus 20. Ifpatient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside of the bay area 100,first transceiver 72 will not be able to communicate with patientsupport apparatus 20 because first transceiver 72 uses infrared signals,which are line-of-sight signals, and first transceiver 72 is set up suchthat its line-of-sight signals are only detectable by the patientsupport apparatus 20 when the patient support apparatus 20 is positionedwithin the corresponding bay 100, or a portion of that bay 100.Accordingly, when controller 92 determines that first transceiver 72 isable to successfully communicate with a patient support apparatus 20, itconcludes that the patient support apparatus 20 is positioned adjacentto the headwall unit 76.

Second transceiver 74 is able to communicate with patient supportapparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20 is positioned outside ofbay area 100 because second transceiver 74 is a Bluetooth transceiverthat uses radio frequency (RF) waves that are not line-of-sight.Accordingly, patient support apparatus 20 does not need to be in bayarea 100 to communicate with second transceiver 74. However, the powerlevels of the Bluetooth communication used by second transceiver 74 areset such that patient support apparatus 20 is not generally able tocommunicate with second transceiver 74 when it is positioned outside ofthe room in which the headwall unit 76 is positioned. As a result, whencontroller 92 establishes communication with any patient supportapparatus 20 via second transceiver 74, controller 92 knows that thepatient support apparatus 20 is currently positioned within the sameroom as the headwall unit 76 (or very close to the room). Further, whencontroller 92 establishes communication with patient support apparatus20 using first transceiver 72, controller 92 knows that patient supportapparatus 20 is currently positioned within the bay area 100, andcontroller 92 is thereby able to confirm its position within aparticular room using two sources of information.

Patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 4) also includes a controller 114 incommunication with first and second transceivers 104 and 108, amicrophone 116, one or more sensors 118, a network transceiver 120, acable sensor 122, and a cable transceiver 124. Controller 114, likecontroller 92 of headwall unit 76, includes any and all electricalcircuitry and components necessary to carry out the functions andalgorithms described herein, as would be known to one of ordinary skillin the art. Generally speaking, controller 114 may include one or moremicrocontrollers, microprocessors, and/or other programmable electronicsthat are programmed to carry out the functions described herein. Theother electronic components may include, but are not limited to, one ormore field programmable gate arrays, systems on a chip, volatile ornonvolatile memory, discrete circuitry, integrated circuits, applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs) and/or other hardware, software, orfirmware, as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Suchcomponents can be physically configured in any suitable manner, such asby mounting them to one or more circuit boards, or arranging them inother manners, whether combined into a single unit or distributed acrossmultiple units. Such components may be physically distributed indifferent positions within patient support apparatus 20, or they mayreside in a common location within patient support apparatus 20. Whenphysically distributed, the components may communicate using anysuitable serial or parallel communication protocol, such as, but notlimited to, CAN, LIN, Firewire, I-squared-C, RS-232, RS-465, universalserial bus (USB), etc. The instructions followed by controller 114 incarrying out the functions described herein, as well as the datanecessary for carrying out these functions, are stored in one or moreaccessible memories (not shown).

Microphone 116 is adapted to convert voice sound waves from a patientpositioned on patient support apparatus 20 into audio signals that aresent by patient support apparatus 20 to a remote nurses' station. Theaudio signals are transmitted, in at least one embodiment, from patientsupport apparatus 20 to headwall unit 76 via second communization link110 between second transceivers 74 and 108. Headwall unit 76 forwardsthe audio signals to nurse call system 64 via cable 78, cable port 60,and room interface board 62. Patient support apparatus 20 receives audiosignals from the nurse call system 64 via second communication link 110and forwards them to speaker 54. Speaker 54 converts the audio signalsinto sound waves which can be heard by the patient on patient supportapparatus 20.

Sensors 118 may include a variety of different types of sensors adaptedto detect parameters relating to patient support apparatus 20, a patientassociated with patient support apparatus 20, a medical device incommunication with patient support apparatus 20, and/or otherparameters. More specifically, sensors 118 may include, but are notlimited to, any one or more of the following: a brake sensor adapted todetect whether or not a caregiver has applied a brake to patient supportapparatus 20; a height sensor adapted to detect the height of supportdeck 30 (and/or detect whether support deck 30 is at its lowest heightor not); siderail sensors adapted to detect whether siderails 34 are intheir raised or lowered orientations; one or more exit detection sensorsadapted to detect when a patient exits from patient support apparatus20; an exit detection status sensor adapted to detect whether the exitdetection system on board patient support apparatus 20 is armed or not;scale sensors adapted to detect a weight of the patient and/or otheritems on litter frame 28; and/or other types of sensor.

When sensors 118 are part of an exit detection system and/or scalesystem, sensors 118 may be implemented as one or more load cells thatdetect the weight and/or center of gravity of the patient. Illustrativemanners in which such force sensors can be used to detect the presenceand absence of a patient, as well as the center of gravity of thepatient, are disclosed in the following commonly assigned U.S. patentreferences: U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,432 issued to Travis and entitledPATIENT EXIT DETECTION MECHANISM FOR HOSPITAL BED; and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 62/253,167 filed Nov. 10, 2015, by inventors MarkoKostic et al. and entitled PERSON SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH ACCELERATIONDETECTION, the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporatedherein by reference. Other types of sensors may be used for detecting apatient's exit and/or weight.

Cable sensor 122 is adapted to detect whether a cable 78 a (FIG. 4) iscoupled to a cable port 126 of patient support apparatus 20. When such acable 78 a is present, patient support apparatus 20 communicatesdirectly with cable port 60 and room interface board 62 and bypassesheadwall unit 76. Cable sensor 122, in at least one embodiment, isimplemented as a conventional voltage detector that detects a voltagesupplied through the cable when the cable is plugged into cable port126. The voltage is supplied by the electronics of headwall 58 coupledto room interface board 62 and cable port 60. Thus, when a cable iscoupled between patient support apparatus 20 and cable port 60 ofheadwall 58, the cable will have a non-zero voltage on at least one ofthe pins of the connector that is coupled to cable port 126 of patientsupport apparatus 20. Cable sensor 122 detects this voltage (or itsabsence when the cable is not plugged into patient support apparatus 20,or not coupled at its other end to cable port 60 of headwall 58), andreports the presence/absence of the cable to controller 92. Controller92 uses this information in any of the manners discussed in greaterdetail below.

It will be understood that patient support apparatuses 20 include morecomponents than those shown in FIG. 4, and that controller 114 maycontrol more than the components shown in FIG. 4. For example, as notedwith respect to FIG. 1, patient support apparatus 20 includes aplurality of user interfaces 50. Those user interfaces may be in directcommunication with controller 114 and/or under the control of controller114, or those user interfaces 50 may be under the control of a separatecontroller that is, in turn, in communication with controller 114.Patient support apparatus 20 may also include an exit detection systemthat is under the control of controller 114, or that includes its owncontroller that communicates with controller 114. One such suitable exitdetection system is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No.5,276,432 issued to Travis and entitled PATIENT EXIT DETECTION MECHANISMFOR HOSPITAL BED, which is incorporated herein by reference, althoughother types of exit detection systems may be included with patientsupport apparatus 20. Still other components may be present on patientsupport apparatus 20 and under the control of controller 114 or anothercontroller onboard patient support apparatus 20.

Patient support apparatus 20 is depicted in FIG. 4 as being located in aparticular room 102 of a healthcare facility. The healthcare facilitymay include additional rooms 102 a, 102 b, etc. that are similar to room102. That is, each room may include one or more headwall units 76 whereeach headwall unit 76 communicates with a cable port 60 and the roominterface board 62 for that particular room. The room interface boards62, in turn, are in communication with room lights 68 and entertainmentdevices 66 for that particular room. Still further, each room interfaceboard 62 is coupled to the nurse call system 64. The nurse call system64, in some embodiments, is in communication with the healthcarefacility computer network 98.

Healthcare facility computer network 98 includes a plurality of servers,such as, but not limited to, a caregiver communication server 128, apatient support apparatus/headwall server 130, and a location server132. Caregiver communication server 128 may be a conventional serverthat communicates alerts to caregivers carrying wireless electronicdevices (e.g. pagers, badges, smart phones, portable computers, etc.).Patient support apparatus/headwall server 130 is a server that receivescommunications from patient support apparatuses 20 and/or headwall units76. In some cases, the communications received from patient supportapparatuses 20 and/or headwall units 76 are alerts that are intended tobe communicated to a caregiver. In such cases, server 130 forwards thealerts to caregiver server 128, which then forwards the alerts to theappropriate personnel.

Location server 132 is adapted to monitor and record the currentlocations of patient support apparatuses 20, patients, and/or caregiverswithin the healthcare facility. In the illustrated embodiment ofheadwall system 90, patient support apparatus 20 determines its locationwithin a facility from its communication with a particular headwall unit76. More particularly, each patient support apparatus 20 determines itslocation within the healthcare facility from its ability to communicatewith a nearby headwall unit 76 (whose locations are fixed and known)using the short range first transceivers 72 and 104. Location server 132shares the current location of the patient support apparatuses 20 withother applications/servers on network 98 that request this locationinformation. In some modified embodiments, location server 132 is aconventional asset and tracking server that determines the location ofpatient support apparatuses 20 without utilizing communication withheadwall units 76.

One or more additional servers may also be included, such as, but notlimited to, an Internet server and/or an Internet gateway that couplesnetwork 98 to the Internet, thereby enabling the servers, headwall units76, patient support apparatuses 20, and/or other applications on network98 to communicate with computers outside of the healthcare facility,such as, but not limited to, a geographically remote server operatedunder the control of the manufacturer of patient support apparatuses 20and/or headwall units 76. Network 98 may also include a conventionalAdmission, Discharge, and Tracking (ADT) server that allows patientsupport apparatuses 20 and/or headwall units 76 to retrieve informationidentifying the patient assigned to a particular patient supportapparatus 20. Still further, healthcare network 98 may further includeone or more conventional work flow servers and/or charting servers thatassign, monitor, and/or schedule patient-related tasks to particularcaregivers. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art thatstill more modifications to network 98 may be made beyond those listedherein. As but one example, it will be understood that, although FIG. 4shows nurse call system 64 coupled to network 98, this may be modified.Still other modifications are possible.

Both first and second transceivers 72 and 74 of headwall unit 76 areconfigured to periodically transmit a beacon signal, such as, but notlimited to, once every second or so. When a patient support apparatus 20moves into the room in which the headwall unit 76 is positioned, thefirst and second transceivers 104 and 108, respectively, receive thebeacon signal and respond thereto. The beacon signal includes anidentifier of that particular headwall unit 76 and the patient supportapparatus 20 uses the identifier to automatically establishcommunication links with the headwall unit 76 in response to the beaconsignal. That is, headwall unit 76 is configured, in at least someembodiments, to automatically establish communication links 106 and 110with patient support apparatus 20 when patient support apparatus 20enters the room.

Communication links 106 and 110 are established automatically withoutrequiring any steps on the part of a caregiver that are specific to thisprocess. In other words, the caregiver does not need to press a button,flip a switch, or manipulate any controls on patient support apparatus20 or headwall unit 76 to establish links 106 and 110. Instead, the merepositioning of patient support apparatus 20 within range of first andsecond transceivers 72 and 74 automatically causes patient supportapparatus 20 to establish communication links with these devices. Themanner in which these links are established and maintained is discussedin more detail below.

In those implementations of headwall system 90 where one or more roomsin a healthcare facility contain multiple headwall units 76, secondtransceiver 74 may initially establish a communication link 110 with apatient support apparatus 20 when entering a room that is not thepatient support apparatus 20 that is ultimately parked in front ofsecond transceiver 74. In other words, when patient support apparatus 20is initially moved into a room with multiple headwall units 76, thepatient support apparatus may be able to communicate with the secondtransceiver 74 of both headwall units 76. Multiple communication links110 may therefore be initially established. However, once the patientsupport apparatus 20 is moved to its intended bay area 100, the patientsupport apparatus 20 establishes link 106 with first transceiver 72, andfirst transceiver 72 transmits to the patient support apparatus theunique identifier 112 corresponding to the headwall unit 76 of thatparticular bay area 100. The patient support apparatus 20 uses thisspecific identifier to determine which of the multiple headwall units 76it is supposed to have second communication link 110 with, anddisestablishes any second communication links 110 it may haveestablished with the other headwall unit(s) 76 that do not have thespecific identifier it received via communication link 106. The resultis that patient support apparatus 20 ends up having a singlecommunication link 110 with one and only one (and the same) headwallunit 76.

Once communication links 106 and 110 are established, controllers 92 and114 maintain the communication links by periodically transmittingheartbeat messages back forth to each other. FIG. 5 illustrates onemanner in which controllers 92 and 114 are configured to carry out theseheartbeat messages. Controller 92 of headwall unit 76 sends a firstheartbeat message at step 134 to patient support apparatus 20 usingfirst transceiver 72. This heartbeat message, as well as the otherheartbeat messages discussed herein, includes a counter. Firsttransceiver 104 of patient support apparatus 20 receives this firstheartbeat message and passes it to controller 114 of patient supportapparatus 20. Instead of acknowledging this heartbeat message usingfirst transceiver 104, controller 114 directs second transceiver 108 toacknowledge this message by sending a return message at step 136. Theacknowledgement message is sent off of patient support apparatus 20 viasecond transceiver 108 and is received at headwall unit 76 by secondtransceiver 74. The acknowledgement message includes the same counter asthe original heartbeat message sent at step 134.

When controller 92 of headwall unit 76 receives this acknowledgementmessage, it checks the counter and sees that it is the same as thecounter it sent at step 134. Because the counter is the same, controller92 concludes that the first message transmitted via first communicationlink 106 at step 134 was successfully received. In other words, thesuccessful communication of the first heartbeat message at step 134 overfirst communication link 106 is acknowledged by a message sent oversecond communication link 110.

At some moment (the precise time may vary) after acknowledgement of thefirst heartbeat message is sent at step 136, controller 114 of patientsupport apparatus 20 sends a second heartbeat message at step 138.Controller 114 uses first transceiver 104 to send this second heartbeatmessage to first transceiver 72 of headwall unit 76. Controller 114increments the counter in this message prior to sending it. In responseto receiving this second heartbeat message, controller 92 of headwallunit 76 sends an acknowledgement response at step 140. Controller 92sends the acknowledgement response using second transceiver 74. Theacknowledgement message maintains the same counter value that was sentat step 138.

When controller 114 of patient support apparatus 20 receives this secondacknowledgement message, it checks the counter and sees that it is thesame as the counter it sent at step 138. Because the counter is thesame, controller 114 concludes that the second heartbeat messagetransmitted via first communication link 106 at step 138 wassuccessfully received. In other words, the successful communication ofthe second heartbeat message at step 138 over first communication link106 is acknowledged by a second acknowledgement message sent over secondcommunication link 110.

At some point (the precise time may vary) after the acknowledgementmessage of the second heartbeat message is sent at step 140, controller92 of headwall unit 76 sends a third heartbeat message at step 142.Controller 92 uses first transceiver 72 of headwall unit 76 to send thisthird heartbeat message. Controller 92 increments the counter in thisheartbeat message prior to sending it. In response to receiving thisthird heartbeat message, controller 114 of patient support apparatus 20sends an acknowledgement response at step 144. Controller 114 sends theacknowledgement response using second transceiver 108. Theacknowledgement message maintains the same counter value that was sentat step 142.

When controller 92 of headwall unit 76 receives this thirdacknowledgement message, it checks the counter and sees that it is thesame as the counter it sent at step 142. Because the counter is thesame, controller 92 concludes that the third heartbeat messagetransmitted via first communication link 106 at step 142 wassuccessfully received. The successful communication of the thirdheartbeat message at step 142 over first communication link 106 istherefore acknowledged by a third acknowledgement message sent oversecond communication link 110.

At some moment (the precise time may vary) after acknowledgement of thethird heartbeat message is sent at step 144, controller 114 of patientsupport apparatus 20 sends a fourth heartbeat message at step 146.Controller 114 uses first transceiver 104 to send this second heartbeatmessage to first transceiver 72 of headwall unit 76. Controller 114increments the counter in this message prior to sending it. In responseto receiving this fourth heartbeat message, controller 92 of headwallunit 76 sends a fourth acknowledgement response at step 148. Controller92 sends the fourth acknowledgement response using second transceiver74. The fourth acknowledgement message maintains the same counter valuethat was sent at step 146.

When controller 114 of patient support apparatus 20 receives this fourthacknowledgement message, it checks the counter and sees that it is thesame as the counter it sent at step 146. Because the counter is thesame, controller 114 concludes that the fourth heartbeat messagetransmitted via first communication link 106 at step 146 wassuccessfully received. The successful communication of the fourthheartbeat message at step 146 over first communication link 106 isacknowledged by the fourth acknowledgement message sent over secondcommunication link 110.

After step 148, controllers 92 and 114 continue to send heartbeatmessages back and forth to each other in the manner illustrated in FIG.5 and just described. As was noted, the time between heartbeat messagesand/or acknowledgement messages may be varied. In some embodiments, thetime between sending another heartbeat message after sending anacknowledgment message is a fixed and predetermined amount of time. Inother embodiments, the time may be variable and/or may be measured fromthe time the heartbeat message is originally sent. Regardless of thespecific manner used to set the frequency of the heartbeat messages andtheir respective acknowledgements, the period between such messages mayvary widely and may be set in order to implement a desired quickness indetermining when a communication link failure occurs.

Controllers 92 and 114 may be configured to respond in different mannersto the failure to receive an acknowledgement within an expected timeperiod, or the failure of a heartbeat message to be received within anexpected time period. In some embodiments, controller 92 and/or 114issue an alert in response to a single heartbeat message not beingreceived within an expected time period, or in response to a singleacknowledgement message not being received within an expected timeperiod. In other embodiments, controllers 92 and/or 114 are configuredto wait until more than one expected heartbeat message oracknowledgement is not received before issuing an alert. In still otherembodiments, controller 92 and/or 114 may send an inquiry message to theother one in response to a missed expected heartbeat message oracknowledgement. In some embodiments, the inquiry message is sent overthe communication link 106, 110 that is not the communication link onwhich the expected message (heartbeat or acknowledgement) was supposedto be transmitted. For example, if a heartbeat was expected on firstcommunication link 106 but not received, the inquiry message istransmitted over second communication link 110. Still other messages maybe passed back and forth between patient support apparatus 20 andheadwall unit 76 before either or both of them issue an alert. Suchmessages may be configured to better diagnose what issue, if any, ispresent in the communication link(s) 106, 110.

By alternating the heartbeat messages between communication links 106and 110, the amount of power expended by any given transceiver isreduced. This power saving can be helpful in those situations whereheadwall unit 76 is battery-operated, and/or where first transceiver 72is separate from second transceiver 74 and one or both of thesetransceivers is battery operated.

It will be understood that multiple modifications can be made to theheartbeat messaging illustrated in FIG. 5 and discussed above. Forexample, although FIG. 5 discloses heartbeat messages that are alwayssent by one of first transceivers 72, 104 and acknowledgements that arealways sent by one of second transceivers 74, 108, this can be reversed.Alternatively, both first transceivers 72, 104 and second transceivers74, 108 can be used in an alternating fashion to send the heartbeatmessage with the acknowledgement messages also being alternated. In yetanother modified embodiment, the acknowledgement message is sent overthe same link 106, 110 as the heartbeat message, but successiveheartbeat messages are alternated between the links 106, 110. Stillother variations are possible.

In some embodiments, the heartbeat messages are only sent during periodswhen no other communication is taking place over at least one of thecommunication links 106, 110 between patient support apparatus 20 andheadwall unit 76. In other embodiments, controllers 92 and 114 continueto send heartbeat messages during other communication by interspersingthem with the other communication. In still other embodiments, thecommunication of non-heartbeat messages over links 106, 110 may becarried out by sending acknowledgements of the communicatednon-heartbeat messages via the opposite communication link 106, 110 tothe link used to communicate the non-heartbeat messages. In other words,in some embodiments, the alternation of communication links 106, 110 isused not just for heartbeat messages, but also for other messages aswell.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a communication selection method 150according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Communicationmethod 150 is implemented by controller 114 of patient support apparatus20. Communication method 150 begins at an initial step 152. At step 152,controller 114 searches for a headwall unit 76 that is withincommunication range of patient support apparatus 20. In someembodiments, controller 114 accomplishes this by listening to theoutputs from transceivers 104, 108 and waiting to detect a beacon signaltransmitted from a nearby headwall unit 76. In other embodiments,controller 114 is configured to periodically send out interrogationmessages via first and/or second transceivers 104, 108 requesting aresponse from any headwall unit 76 that is within range of transceivers104, 108. In still other embodiments, controller 114 accomplishes step152 through a combination of listening for beacon signals from aheadwall unit 76 and sending out interrogation messages to any headwallunits 76 within range.

From step 152, controller 114 proceeds to step 154 where it checks tosee if a cable 78 a (FIG. 4) has been connected between patient supportapparatus 20 and cable port 60 of headwall 58. Controller 114 checks forthe presence of this cable by using outputs from cable sensor 122 (FIG.4). If a cable 78 a is present, controller 114 proceeds to step 156. Atstep 156, controller 114 uses the cable 78 a to communicate with cableport 60 and its associated components (room interface board 62, nursecall system 64, entertainment devices 66, and/or room lights 68). Whenusing cable 78 a in this manner, controller 114 routes allcommunications to room interface board 62 and its associated componentsvia cable 78 a, rather than through a wireless communication link 106,110. Such cable communication continues until the cable is disconnectedat step 158.

If controller 114 does not detect a cable at step 154 (FIG. 6),controller 114 moves to step 160. At step 160, controller 114 checks tosee if wireless communication links 106 and 110 have been successfullyestablished between patient support apparatus 20 and a nearby headwallunit 76. If links 106 and 110 have not been established, controller 114returns to step 152 and proceeds as previously described. Ifcommunication links 106, 110 have been established, controller 114proceeds to step 162 where it uses wireless communication to communicatewith room interface board 62 and its associated components. That is,when patient support apparatus 20 communicates data to, for example,nurse call system 64 or entertainment devices 66, controller 114 sendsthe command via second transceiver 108 (or first transceiver 104, insome cases) to headwall unit 76. Controller 92 of headwall unit 76receives the data and/or command and forwards it to cable port 60 viacable transceiver 94 and the cable 78 coupled between headwall unit 76and cable port 60. Cable port 60, as noted, is communicatively coupledto room interface board 62 by a wired connection. Controller 114continues to use wireless communication at step 162 until the wirelesscommunication links 106, 110 are disestablished at step 158.

Communication method 150 automatically selects wireless communicationfor communications between patient support apparatus 20 and roominterface board 62 (via headwall unit 76) when such wirelesscommunications is available, and automatically selects wiredcommunication if the wireless communication is not available.Communication method 150 prioritizes wireless communication over wiredcommunication because the time it takes for communication links 106, 110to be established is typically less than the amount of time it takes fora caregiver to plug cable 78 a into port 126 and cable port 60. Asdescribed previously, this is because communication link 110 istypically automatically established at the time the patient supportapparatus 20 enters a room 102 (or sooner, in some case), andcommunication link 106 is typically automatically established in themoments when patient support apparatus 20 is first moved into a bay area100. As a result, links 106 and 110 may be established prior to thepatient support apparatus 20 stopping movement, and typically before acaregiver has a chance to connect a cable 78 a.

It will be appreciated, however, that if a caregiver decides to use acable 78 a for communication after wireless communication links 106, 110are established, controller 114 will automatically switch to using thecable. This is because cable port 60 typically only includes a singleport for a single cable. Thus, if a caregiver couples cable 78 a betweencable port 60 and patient support apparatus 20 (FIG. 4), the caregiverwill typically have to unplug cable 78 between cable port 60 andheadwall unit 76. This unplugging is detected by headwall unit 76 andterminates the wireless communication links 106, 110 via step 158 (FIG.6). Accordingly, method 150 restarts after cable 78 is disconnected fromheadwall unit 76 and controller 114 detects the presence of cable 78 aat step 154. From step 154, controller 114 switches to using cablecommunications between patient support apparatus 20 and room interfaceboard 62. Method 150 therefore automatically converts to using wiredcommunication if the caregiver plugs cable 78 a into patient supportapparatus 20, even if wireless communication links 106, 110 werepreviously established. Similarly, method 150 automatically switches towireless communication if cable 78 a is unplugged and wirelesscommunication links 106, 110 are able to be established.

It will be understood that a number of modifications of method 150 maybe implemented. In one such embodiment, controller 114 executes step 160by looking for at least one communication link 106, 110 and proceeds tostep 162 if at least one communication link 106, 110 is established.That is, controller 114 modifies step 162 by proceeding to step 162after a single communication link 106, 110 is established, rather thanwaiting for both communication links 106, 110 to be established. At step162, wireless communication is carried out using whichever communicationlink 106, 110 is established. Attempts to establish the othercommunication link 106, 110 continue to be made by controller 114 and,in some embodiments, if success is not achieved with a predeterminedtime period (or after a predetermined amount of attempts), controller114 issues an alert. As with all alerts discussed here, the alert may bea local alert (aural and/or visual) on patient support apparatus 20, aremote alert implemented by sending a message via network transceiver120 to patient support apparatus server 130 and/or alert communicationserver 128, or a combination of both a local and a remote alert.

In yet another modified embodiment of method 150, headwall unit 76 ismodified from the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 and described above. Inthis modified form, headwall unit 76 includes a pass through cableconnector, such as the one connecting cable ports 84 a and 84 b in FIG.4 of commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/600,000,filed Dec. 18, 2017, by inventors Alexander Bodurka., and entitled SMARTHOSPITAL HEADWALL SYSTEM, the complete disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference. Such a pass-through connector allowscable 78 a to be connected from patient support apparatus 20 to headwallunit 76, as well as a cable 78 to be connected from headwall unit 76 tocable port 60. With such a pass through connector, cable messages frompatient support apparatus 20 to headwall unit 76 are passed therethroughto cable 78, which, as noted, is coupled to headwall port 60.

When headwall unit 76 is modified to include such a cable pass-throughconnector, patient support apparatus 20 is able to simultaneouslycommunicate with headwall unit 76 via both a wired communication linkand one or more wireless communication links. In such embodiments,patient support apparatus 20 can be configured to select whichevercommunication method is desirable (wired or wireless). In someembodiments, patient support apparatus 20 is configurable by atechnician to make whichever choice (wired or wireless) is preferred byan administrator of a healthcare facility. In some of these embodiments,the configuration can be set remotely via server 130 sending a commandto the patient support apparatus(es) 20 to implement the preferredcommunication method. In still other embodiments, headwall unit 76 canbe configured to dictate which communication method to choose.

In any of the embodiments where multiple communication links arepresent, whether wired or wireless, patient support apparatus 20 andheadwall unit 76 are configured to automatically switch to using one ofthe other communication links if there is a failure or malfunction inthe link being used. In this manner, the multiple communication linksprovide redundancy such that the failure of a single communication linkdoes not prevent patient support apparatus 20 from communicating withroom interface board 62. In such embodiments, controller 92 and/orcontroller 114 are configured to issue an alert (local, remote, and/orboth) indicating the failure of one or more of the communication linksso that appropriate corrective action can be taken. Prior to thecorrective action being implemented, communication still continues usingwhichever link(s) are functional.

FIG. 7 illustrates a communication method 170 implemented by patientsupport apparatus 20 in at least one embodiment. Communication method170 utilizes communication links 106, 110 as redundant links andswitches to using the other link if a message failure occurs on one ofthe links 106, 110. Method 170 is implemented by controller 114 andstarts at an initial step 172 when a patient presses a nurse call buttonon patient support apparatus 20, or otherwise activates a nurse callfeature on patient support apparatus 20. In many embodiments, the nursecall button (or other activating component) is included within one orboth of the patient user interfaces 50 c. This nurse call button isactivated when the patient wishes to speak with a remotely positionednurse, or other caregiver.

In response to the nurse call button being pressed at step 172, thebutton (or other type of device) sends a signal to controller 114 (FIG.2) at step 174. Controller 114 forwards the signal to headwall unit 76at step 176 using second transceiver 108. At step 178, controller 114checks to see if an acknowledgement message indicating the receipt ofthe signal at step 176 has been received by patient support apparatus20. The acknowledgement message may be received via first transceiver104 or second transceiver 108. If such an acknowledgement was received,controller 114 moves to step 180 and method 170 terminates until anothernurse call signal or message is to be sent.

If controller 114 does not receive an acknowledgment message back, asdetermined at step 178, it moves to step 182 and determines whether atimeout period has elapsed yet or not. If the timeout period has not yetelapsed, controller 114 returns to step 178 and checks to see if theacknowledgement message was received yet. Controller 114 thus continuesto wait and check for the acknowledgement message until the timeoutperiod of step 182 expires or the acknowledgement is received. If thetimeout period expires without an acknowledgement, controller 114 movesto step 184.

At step 184, controller 114 resends the signal sent at step 176 usingfirst transceiver 104. After step 184, controller 114 returns to step178 to check and see if an acknowledgment of the re-sent signal wasreceived. If it was, controller 114 moves to step 180 and method 170ends (and restarts when more signals are to be sent). If it was not,controller 114 moves to step 182 to see if the timeout period hasexpired yet or not. From step 182, controller 114 keeps returning tostep 178 until either the acknowledgement of the re-sent signal isreceived or the timeout period expires. In some embodiments, if thetimeout period expires and no acknowledgment of the re-sent signal isreceived, controller 114 tries to send the signal again using secondtransceiver 108 and method 170 essentially repeats itself starting atstep 176. In other embodiments, after no acknowledgement was received inthe timeout period for both the initial signal and the re-sent signal,controller 114 concludes an error exists with respect to bothcommunication links 106 and 110, and issues an alert. The alert may belocal, remote, or both.

Although FIG. 7 illustrates method 170 taking place with respect to asignal issued in response to a patient pressing a nurse call button onpatient support apparatus 20, it will be understood that method 170applies to other signals and/or messages sent from patient supportapparatus 20 to headwall unit 76. That is, controller 114 uses method170 when sending any one or more of the following types of messages toheadwall unit 76: status messages regarding patient support apparatus 20(e.g. whether a brake is on or off; whether an exit detection system isarmed; whether siderails 34 are raised or lowered; etc.); alerts issuedby patient support apparatus 20 (e.g. a patient has exited patientsupport apparatus 20); commands to one or more devices in communicationwith room interface board 62 (e.g. a command to turn off a television inthe room, a command to change a change a local temperature viathermostat 70, etc.); messages containing audio signals generated bymicrophone 116 from the patient's voice (which may be packetized);and/or other types of messages.

It will also be understood that method 170 may be modified from thespecific embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 and described herein. Forexample, in the method shown in FIG. 7, controller 114 first attempts tosend a message using second transceiver 108 and second communicationlink 110. This is done because, in at least one embodiment, secondcommunication link 110 has a higher bandwidth than first communicationlink 106. However, it will be understood that controller 114 may beprogrammed to first attempt to use first communication link 106 to senda message and then switch to second communication link 110 if themessage is not successfully communicated over first communication link106. Still further, it will be understood that links 106 and 110, insome embodiments, may be configured to have the same, or substantiallythe same, bandwidth. Still other modifications to method 170 may bemade.

In some embodiments of headwall system 90, communication method 170 isused not only by patient support apparatus 20 when sending message toheadwall unit 76, but also by headwall unit 76 when sending messages topatient support apparatus 20. That is, whenever controller 92 ofheadwall unit 76 sends a message to patient support apparatus 20, itfirst attempts to send the message using one of communication links 106,110, and if that fails, it automatically re-sends the message using theother communication link 106, 110. If one or both of the communicationlinks 106, 110 fail, headwall unit 76 may issue a local alert (e.g. viastatus lights 88 or otherwise), send an alert to nurse call system 64via room interface board 62, and/or send an alert to headwall server 130via a network transceiver (not shown) built into headwall unit 76.

FIG. 8 illustrates a connection method 190 utilized in some embodimentsby controller 114 of patient support apparatus 20. Controller 114utilizes method 190 when establishing second communication link 110 thatis implemented as a Bluetooth communication link. Method 190 starts atstep 192 where second transceivers 74 and 108 discover each other usingconventional Bluetooth discovery messages. From step 192, controlproceeds to step 194 where second transceivers 74 and 108 exchange theirsecurity credentials. This step may be undertaken in a conventionalmanner using Bluetooth technology, or it may take place in othermanners, at least one of which is described in greater detail below withrespect to FIG. 9.

After step 194, second transceivers 74 and 108 connect to each otherusing or more conventional Bluetooth profiles in order to carry out thecommunication described above. At step 196, transceivers 74 and 108connect using the Serial Port Profile (SPP). The SPP profile emulates aserial cable and defines how to set up virtual serial ports fortransceivers 74 and 108. Patient support apparatus 20 and headwall unit76, in at least one embodiment, utilize the Serial Port Profile tocommunicate alerts and messages to nurse call system 64, commands toroom interface board 62 (forwarded to entertainment devices 66), and anyof the messages not sent using the profiles discussed below with respectto steps 198 and 200.

At step 198, patient support apparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 connectto each other using the conventional Hands Free Profile (HFP) ofBluetooth. Patient support apparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 use thisprofile to communicate the audio signals for the nurse callcommunication. That is, the patient's voice signals and the voicesignals from the remotely positioned nurse are exchanged between patientsupport apparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 using the HFP profile andsecond transceivers 74 and 108.

At step 200, patient support apparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 connectto each other using the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP).Headwall unit 76 uses this profile to stream audio signals fromentertainment device 66 (e.g. TV, radio, etc.) to patient supportapparatus 20. The audio signals are sent to room interface board 62,which forwards them to headwall unit 76 (via cable port 60). Headwallunit 76 transmits them wirelessly to patient support apparatus 20 usingA2DP. Controller 114 of patient support apparatus 20 receives the audiosignals and directs them to one or more of speakers 54. In this manner,the audio from one or more entertainment devices 66 can be conveyeddirectly to speakers 54 on patient support apparatus 20.

It will be understood that other conventional profiles may be utilizedby headwall unit 76 and patient support apparatus 20 when communicatingusing a Bluetooth technology (e.g. communication link 110). Theassignment of specific protocols to specific types of messages may alsobe varied from the assignments discussed above. Still further, as hasbeen previously noted, second communication link 110 is implemented insome embodiments using non-Bluetooth technology, in which none of theaforementioned Bluetooth profiles are used.

FIG. 9 illustrates one manner in which security for pairing patientsupport apparatus 20 with headwall unit 76 may be improved. As withconventional Bluetooth technology, patient support apparatus 20 andheadwall unit 76 are able to securely pair to each other when they bothpossess a shared secret, which is commonly referred to as a link key.The link key is used to authenticate the two devices to each other andto encrypt exchanged data. Patient support apparatuses 20 and headwallunits 76 use the link key to prevent non-authorized devices from pairingwith either patient support apparatus 20 and/or headwall unit 76, aswell as to resist unauthorized devices from decrypting messagesexchanged between patient support apparatuses 20 and headwall units 76.Patient support apparatuses 20 and headwall unit 76 are eithermanufactured with the shared secret (link key), or are configured viaauthorized personnel to both be in possession of the shared secret (linkkey).

Patient support apparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 encrypt messagesbetween each other using the link key and a pairing key 212 (FIG. 9).Pairing key 212 is exchanged between the two when the devices are in theprocess of pairing with each other. In order to prevent unauthorizeddevices from intercepting pairing key 212 and using it to decrypt theexchanged messages (which would also require knowledge of the link key(shared secret)), pairing key 212 is exchanged between headwall units 76and patient support apparatus 20 using a hash function 210 known to eachdevice. In some embodiments, such as that illustrated in FIG. 9, hashfunction 210 is constructed from a plurality of input keys 214, at leastsome of which are dynamic. That is, at least some of the input keys 214vary from device to device, and/or vary with respect to other parameters(e.g. time). The dynamic nature of keys 214 betters improves securitybetween patient support apparatuses 20 and headwall units 76. In someembodiments, patient support apparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 may use alocation key (not shown) that is based upon the location of headwallunit 76 (e.g. room number, bay area, wing, facility, city, state, etc.).

FIG. 9 illustrates several examples of input keys 214 that may be usedby patient support apparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 for inputs intohash function 210. As shown therein, input keys 214 include a serialnumber 216 for a particular headwall unit 76 (and/or for a particularpatient support apparatus 20), a date 218, a time 220, and a BluetoothMedia Access Control (MAC) address 222 for either headwall unit 76 orpatient support apparatus 20. It will be understood that this list ofinput keys 214 is merely illustrative of one specific example of thetypes of input keys 214 that may be input into hash function 210, andthat a large number of other types of input keys 214 may be used.

Whichever set of input keys patient support apparatus 20 and headwallunit 76 are configured to utilize, the input keys 214 are input intohash function 210 to generate a plurality of hashes 224. Hashes 224 arethen transmitted to each other. Each recipient (patient supportapparatus 20 and headwall unit 76) includes the hash function andutilizes this information and the known keys to determine the pairingkey 212. The devices are then able to continue with the pairing processby generating the session key, and to thereafter generate encryptedmessages to each other using the pairing key 212 and the link key.

When the pairing key 212 is exchanged between patient support apparatus20 and headwall unit 76 using hash function 210, both patient supportapparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 are configured to exchange the pairingkey using out-of-band communication. That is, when pairing key 212 isused to establish second communication link 110 between patient supportapparatus 20 and headwall unit 76, pairing key 212 is exchanged betweenthese devices using a different communication link. In some embodiments,patient support apparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 use firstcommunication link 106 to exchange pairing key 212. In other embodimentswhere headwall unit 76 and patient support apparatus 20 both includenetwork transceivers, pairing key 212 may be exchanged using the networktransceivers. Still other communication links may be used. By exchangingpairing key 212 using an out-of-band link, the security of thecommunication link associated with pairing key 212 (e.g. secondcommunication link 110) is increased.

In order to further improve the security of second communication link110, pairing key 212 and all session details regarding first and secondcommunication links 106 and 110 are deleted by both patient supportapparatus 20 and headwall unit 76 after these communication links aredisconnected. In this manner, all keys used for the discovery andconnection establishment for both communication links 106, 110, are notsaved on either device. This helps to prevent against security attacksbecause if the keys were somehow intercepted, they could otherwise bere-used to pretend to be an authorized device.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made to thestructures and methods of headwall system 90. For example, althoughheadwall unit 76 has been described as being mounted to a headwall 58 ofa room 102, it need not be mounted to a wall. Instead, headwall unit 76can be mounted in any fixed location within a room, including, but notlimited to, the ceiling, the floor, or to other architectural structureswithin the room.

It will also be understood that controller 114 may be modified tocommunicate with nurse call system 64 via network transceiver 120 inaddition to such communication via cable port 60. Communicating vianetwork transceiver 120 can be useful in situations where patientsupport apparatus 20 has been moved out of a room and is no longer incommunication with the headwall unit 76 and/or has been disconnectedfrom cable port 60. By communicating using network transceiver 120,controller 114 is able to send a message to the nurse call system 64(via access points 96) indicating that it has moved away from headwallunit 76 and/or bay area 100, and the nurse call system 64 can thereforecancel any cord-out alerts that may otherwise have been institutedand/or take other actions knowing that patient support apparatus 20 isno longer positioned at that particular bay area 100.

Still further, it will be understood that headwall unit 76 may interactwith patient support apparatus 20 in a wide variety of differentmanners. As two examples, headwall units 76 and patient supportapparatuses 20 may be configured to include any of the components and/orto perform any of the functions described in commonly assigned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 62/600,000 filed Dec. 18, 2017, by inventorsAlex Bodurka et al., and entitled SMART HOSPITAL HEADWALL SYSTEM, and/orcommonly assigned U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No.62/587,867 filed Nov. 17, 2017, by inventors Alex Bodurka et al. andentitled PATIENT SUPPORT APPARATUSES WITH LOCATION/MOVEMENT DETECTION,the complete disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

It will also be understood that the use of the term “transceiver” hereinis intended to cover not only devices that include a transmitter andreceiver contained within a single unit, but also devices having atransmitter separate from a receiver, and/or any other devices that arecapable of both transmitting and receiving signals or messages.

Various additional alterations and changes beyond those alreadymentioned herein can be made to the above-described embodiments. Thisdisclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not beinterpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments or to limitthe scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated ordescribed in connection with these embodiments. For example, and withoutlimitation, any individual element(s) of the described embodiments maybe replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similarfunctionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes,for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those thatmight be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternativeelements that may be developed in the future, such as those that oneskilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative.Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using thearticles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limitingthe element to the singular.

What is claimed is:
 1. A patient support apparatus comprising: a supportsurface adapted to support a patient thereon; a microphone adapted togenerate audio signals in response to the patient speaking into themicrophone; a first transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with astationary unit mounted in a room of a healthcare facility; a secondtransceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with the stationary unit;a cable port adapted to receive a nurse call cable; a cable port sensoradapted to detect when the nurse call cable is plugged into the cableport; and a controller adapted to perform the following: (a) communicatethe audio signals to the nurse call cable if the cable port sensordetects that the nurse call cable is plugged into the cable port; and(b) if the cable port sensor detects that the nurse call cable is notplugged into the cable port, pair the first transceiver and thestationary unit by sending a pairing key to the stationary unit via thesecond transceiver, and transmit the audio signals via the firsttransceiver only after pairing the first transceiver and the stationaryunit.
 2. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controlleris further adapted to exchange heartbeat messages with the stationaryunit using both the first and second transceivers.
 3. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 2 wherein the controller is further adaptedto alternate the heartbeat messages between the first and secondtransceivers.
 4. The patient support apparatus of claim 3 wherein thecontroller is further adapted to issue an alert if the heartbeatmessages stop.
 5. The patient support apparatus of claim 4 furthercomprising a third transceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with alocal area network of the healthcare facility, wherein the controller isfurther adapted to issue the alert by transmitting the alert to a serveron the local area network via the third transceiver.
 6. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 5 wherein the first transceiver is aBluetooth transceiver, the second transceiver is an infraredtransceiver, and the third transceiver is a WiFi transceiver.
 7. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 2 wherein each of the heartbeatmessages includes a transmission and an acknowledgement, and thecontroller is adapted to respond to a transmission from the stationaryunit received via one of the first and second transceivers with anacknowledgement sent via the other of the first and second transceivers.8. The patient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller isfurther adapted to communicate a first set of signals between thepatient support apparatus and the stationary unit using a firstcommunications profile of the first transceiver, to receive a second setof signals from the stationary unit using a second communicationsprofile of the first transceiver, and to transmit a third set of signalsfrom the patient support apparatus to the stationary unit using a thirdcommunications profile of the first transceiver.
 9. The patient supportapparatus of claim 8 wherein the first communications profile is aBluetooth Hands Free Profile, the second communications profile is aBluetooth Advanced Audio Distribution Profile, and the thirdcommunications profile is a Bluetooth Serial Port Profile.
 10. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is furtheradapted to send a different pairing key to the stationary unit via thesecond transceiver each time the controller pairs the first transceiverand the stationary unit.
 11. A patient support apparatus systemcomprising: a patient support apparatus and a stationary unit adapted tobe mounted to a wall of a room of a healthcare facility, wherein thepatient support apparatus further comprises: (a) a support surfaceadapted to support a patient thereon; (b) a first transceiver adapted towirelessly communicate with the stationary unit; (c) a secondtransceiver adapted to wirelessly communicate with the stationary unit;and (d) a first controller adapted to transmit audio signals from thepatient support apparatus to the stationary unit; and wherein thestationary unit comprises: (i) a cable transceiver adapted tocommunicate with a plurality of pins of a nurse call port mounted to thewall; (ii) a third transceiver adapted to establish a first wirelesscommunication link with the first transceiver after the firsttransceiver and the third transceiver are paired together; (iii) afourth transceiver adapted to establish a second wireless communicationlink with the second transceiver and to receive a pairing key from thesecond transceiver, wherein the pairing key is used for pairing thefirst and third transceivers; and (iv) a second controller adapted tocontrol the cable transceiver such that the cable transceiver changes anelectrical state between at least two pins of the nurse call port whenthe second controller detects an unintentional disconnection of thefirst wireless communication link between the first and thirdtransceivers.
 12. The patient support apparatus system of claim 11wherein the first controller is further adapted to transmit to thesecond controller a disconnect message whenever the first wirelesscommunication link is intentionally disconnected.
 13. The patientsupport apparatus system of claim 12 wherein the first controller isadapted to transmit the disconnect message via the first transceiver.14. The patient support apparatus system of claim 13 wherein the firstcontroller is further adapted to transmit the disconnect message when abrake of the patient support apparatus is deactivated.
 15. The patientsupport apparatus system of claim 13 wherein the first controller isfurther adapted to transmit the disconnect message when a power cord ofthe patient support apparatus is unplugged from an electrical outlet.16. The patient support apparatus system of claim 13 wherein the firstcontroller is further adapted to transmit the disconnect message when aboth power cord of the patient support apparatus is unplugged from anelectrical outlet and a brake of the patient support apparatus isdeactivated.
 17. The patient support apparatus of claim 11 wherein thefirst and third transceivers are radio frequency transceivers and thesecond and fourth transceivers are infrared transceivers.
 18. Thepatient support apparatus system of claim 11 wherein the first andsecond controllers are further adapted to exchange heartbeat messageswith each other using the first and second wireless communication links,and wherein the first and second controllers are further adapted toalternate the heartbeat messages between the first and second wirelesscommunication links.
 19. The patient support apparatus system of claim11 wherein the patient support apparatus further includes a microphoneadapted to generate audio signals in response to the patient speakinginto the microphone, and wherein the first controller is adapted tocommunicate the audio signals to the stationary unit using the firstwireless communication link, and wherein the second controller isadapted to forward the audio signals to the cable transceiver.
 20. Thepatient support apparatus system of claim 11 wherein the firstcontroller is further adapted to send a different pairing key to thestationary unit via the second transceiver each time the firstcontroller pairs the first transceiver and the third transceiver.